Keys to Love (23 page)

“Yeah,” Julian said softly.

“I’ll run Sho Sho out before going in to eat.”

Julian gave a confused shake of his head. “Sho Sho?”

Chopin’s nose appeared from the edge of the curtain as he licked Jesse’s cheek.

Jesse put his arm around the dog. “It’s Chopin’s nickname.

We’ve become good friends.”

“I can tell.”

Jesse stood up. “I’ll lock the door after I bring the dogs back so you don’t have to worry about anyone sneaking on.”

“Thanks, Jess.”

Julian listened to Jesse walk away. He heard Brad asking about him, then Jesse relaying what he’d told him. A moment later, Jesse called to all the dogs. The empty bus was silent for several minutes until Jesse brought the dogs back, then left again.

Julian listened to the quiet, then with a sigh rolled out of the bunk. He shuffled to the main portion and was greeted by three wagging tails. He made rounds petting each dog, then sat heavily in one of the seats, staring blankly out the window. His eyes caught movement between the bus and one of the equipment trucks. A shocked cough left him as he saw it was Morgan heading for the bus’s door.

Julian sprang up and reached the door at the same moment Morgan did. He quickly opened it for him. Morgan jogged up the steps as Julian closed the door again.

“What are you doing here?” Julian said.

Morgan stopped in front of him, standing close enough he wouldn’t have to extend his hand to touch him, but simply raise it. “I saw Jesse walking Chopin, then I didn’t see you with the guys when they went into the restaurant, and I got worried about you.”

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Julian gazed at him. He was so close, all of Morgan’s masculine beauty before him, and yet after their harsh words that morning, he’d never seemed so far away. He turned from all the temptation that Morgan’s was. “I wanted some time alone.”

Morgan caught Julian’s arm. He gently pulled him closer.

Julian considered resisting, but just the simple warmth of Morgan’s hand felt so good and he found himself wanting to fall against him.

Morgan placed his other hand on Julian’s cheek. “I’m so sorry, Jules. Everything from this morning was my fault. You were right about my stupid egotistical pride. If I would’ve thought for half a second before flying off the handle, I would’ve realized all you wanted to do was help me. I’m so, so sorry.”

Julian lifted his hands to lay them on Morgan’s waist. “No, it wasn’t all your fault. I should’ve talked to you before doing what I did. It wasn’t my place to get involved in your finances.”

“But that’s just it.” Morgan cupped Julian’s face in both hands.

“I
want
it to be your place. It took me the whole morning thinking on it, but I realized I want to share everything I have with you.”

He smiled and laid his forehead on Julian’s. “Even my debts.”

Julian chuckled softly. “I want to share everything I have with you, too.”

Julian tipped his head further back, and Morgan’s lips pressed against his own. Their mouths opened at the same moment, their tongues glided over each other. Julian savored Morgan after the fear he’d never share such intimacy with him again.

As the kiss slowly ended, Morgan wrapped Julian in a tight embrace, Julian’s arms going around him in return. He rested his head on Julian’s, closing his eyes as he breathed in Julian’s cologne. Simply inhaling the fragrance washed the remaining anxiety from his heart.

Morgan held Julian for a long moment, then eased back. He took Julian’s hand and led him to the couch. Morgan sat, drawing Julian down next to him. “I do appreciate what you did, but it’s not an easy thing for me to accept that much help from you. It’s
186 S.J. Frost

not easy for me to even accept marginal help from anybody. I tend to be a bit on the independent side.”

“A bit? That’s part of the reason I went about things the way I did. I knew you’d never accept my help if I stepped forward and offered it.” Julian bumped his shoulder against Morgan’s. “Plus, this was also payback for you blowing thirty thousand dollars to get a date with me when all you had to do was ask.”

Morgan laughed. “It was for a private concert, which you still owe me, by the way.” His laughter ended as another sigh left him.

“I guess I
am
frivolous with my money, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not. I’m grateful you bid for me, and I understand you booked a room at the Biltmore trying to make me happy, but there’s no shame in letting me pay for the more expensive things.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Morgan grumbled.

“And it should be easy for you to accept, because it doesn’t matter where the funds come from. All that matters is we’re together.” Julian brought Morgan’s hand to his lips. He spoke in a hushed voice, his lips on Morgan’s fingers. “Maybe because I came from it, maybe because I have so much of it now, but money holds so little value to me. But you, and what we’ve had these past couple weeks, that’s something I’ve never known and it’s something I cherish so much more. I don’t want to lose you because of something as cold as money.”

“Jules,” Morgan whispered, and pulled him into his arms.

“You won’t lose me over something like that.”

Julian lay against Morgan’s warmth. “Then we’re still on for our trip tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

Julian sat up. “Good. I really want this time with you. It seems like it’s getting harder and harder staying quiet about us.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I think Evan—”

“Jesse!” Julian blurted out, jumping off the couch. “Why is he coming back already?”

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Morgan looked out the window to the sight of Jesse walking toward the bus carrying a white bag and followed by a bodyguard.

Julian grabbed Morgan’s hand and pulled him up. “Get in the bathroom. Quick!”

Morgan allowed Julian to push him down to the bathroom, laughing softly as he went. Julian ripped open the door and gave him a shove. Morgan stumbled inside, gazing around the small space. “Man, this is tiny enough, but it’s still twice the size of the bathroom on the roadie bus. Do you have any idea what it’s like to share a bathroom with twenty other men?”

“Shhh!” Julian shut the door and spun around just as Jesse unlocked the bus’s door.

Jesse climbed the steps, smiling as he saw Julian. “Hey, you’re up. Feeling better?”

Julian shook his head. “No, not really.”

Jesse held up the white bag. “I thought I’d bring your food out so you wouldn’t have to wait on us. I ended up ordering you some chicken soup, a salad, and a grilled chicken sandwich with fries. I thought you could pick whatever you felt up to eating.

And there’re three steaks in there for the dogs.”

“You’re so thoughtful.”

Jesse stepped forward. “You didn’t expect me to let you lay in here sick and hungry, did you?”

Julian hastened forward and placed his hands on the bag. “I’ll take it. You better get back to your food before it gets cold.”

Jesse gave him a suspicious look. “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t go to the back?”

“What? No, not at all…” Julian’s mind worked to come up with an excuse. “Well, it’s just, I’m having some issues.” He laid his hand on his lower abdomen, then waved it under his nose.

“It’s not pleasant by the bathroom.”

Jesse pushed the bag of food toward him. “And on that note, I’m out of here. Just do us all a favor and crack a window, okay?”

188 S.J. Frost

Julian took the food. “I will. Thank you for the food.”

Jesse lifted his hand in a wave without turning around as he walked away.

Julian watched Jesse lock the door behind him, then head for the restaurant. He spun toward the bathroom and opened the door to find a red-faced Morgan with tears in his eyes from restraining his laughter. What hold he had over it vanished and Morgan burst out laughing.

“That was the best excuse you could think of?” Morgan choked out.

Julian grabbed Morgan’s wrist and tugged him forward. “Just get out of there and have lunch with me.”

Morgan sat at the table across from him, still snickering as he watched Julian pull container after container from the bag. “He doesn’t do anything halfway, does he?”

“Jesse?” Julian shook his head. “No, it’s all or nothing.”

Morgan opened one container to three New York strip steaks inside. He glanced at Chopin standing beside Achilles and Iris, all three staring at him with expectant looks. “And you’re getting more and more spoiled. I don’t even get to eat New York strip.”

“I’m sure the dogs wouldn’t mind if you took one for yourself and split two between them.”

“I think I will.” Morgan looked at Chopin again. “You don’t need a whole one, anyway. You’re going to get chunky.”

“Jesse’s offered to take him out on his morning runs, but I always said no because I didn’t want him interrupting us. I could tell him I’ve changed my mind.”

“I think it’d be good for him. Besides, I’m not so sure we have to keep playing the sneaking around game.”

Julian paused in dishing out salad to Morgan’s plate. “What do you mean?”

“This morning after I left your room, I ran into Evan.”

Morgan relayed Evan’s words to him.

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Julian slowly sat down. “The night the piano string was cut, Evan looked at me as if he knew something. He’s incredibly astute, sometimes unnervingly so.”

“But if he knows, then Jesse probably knows, right?”

“Well, we don’t even know if he knows. It could be more a suspicion on his part. But yeah, even if it’s just a suspicion, it’s guaranteed Jesse knows.” Julian drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Still, neither have mentioned anything to me, so maybe we’re just being paranoid.”

“Maybe, but I think they’d be okay with it.”

Julian sat quiet for a moment, then met Morgan’s gaze and nodded. “Then we’ll tell everyone after the break. All the guys should be in a good mood when we all join up again, so even if someone’s not thrilled at the idea, it may go smoother.”

A bright smile shone across Morgan’s face. “Really?”

Julian leaned over the table to him. “Yes, but only on one condition.”

Morgan rose up to bring their lips closer. “What?”

“That if things turn sour and Jesse wants you to leave the tour, you let me take care of you until you find another job.”

Morgan shook his head. “You’re really going to work on squashing my egotistical pride, aren’t you?”

“No, I just want you to feel comfortable accepting help from me.”

“In that case, I agree.”

Morgan closed their mouths together, sealing their agreement with a passion-filled kiss.

Julian gripped onto the rented Ford Explorer’s interior handle with a white knuckled fist. His other hand lashed out to brace against the center console as the SUV hit another crater on the dirt road. He glanced at Morgan, who didn’t look in the least perturbed that they hadn’t even seen another car in half an hour, and that was before they reached this track of dirt doing a poor imitation of a road. Trees lined both sides, so thick he could only see a few yards into the forest. Julian risked moving his hand from the console to pull out his cell phone. No signal. He looked at Morgan.

“I’m starting to have second thoughts about this.”

“Only second thoughts? Honey, you’re on like your twentieth thought by now.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t realize I wouldn’t have a phone signal.

What if someone needs to get a hold of me? Or worse, what if something happens and we need help?”

Morgan laid his hand on Julian’s thigh. “The world isn’t going to come to an end if you miss a couple phone calls for one night.

And nothing’s going to happen.”

“But I haven’t seen a hint of civilization in over an hour.”

“You’re exaggerating. We just passed houses half an hour ago.”

“I wouldn’t call those civilized,” Julian mumbled.

Morgan rubbed Julian’s thigh. “You don’t think I’d ever put you in danger, do you?”

“Not intentionally.”

Morgan laughed and gave Julian’s leg a shove. “That’s not very reassuring!”

“Neither is this road.”

Julian saw the road ended ahead in a large dirt patch with
192 S.J. Frost

nothing but forest all around. “How did you know about this place, anyway?”

“My father and I would come down to camp the Appalachians every spring. In the fall, we’d go camping again, not always in the mountains, sometimes we’d stay closer to home, but we’d do it in the more civilized way, having a spot at a campground so my mother could enjoy it.” Morgan smirked at him. “She wasn’t much of one for peeing outside.”

“A woman of class. I can already tell I’ll like her when I meet her.”

Morgan threw the Explorer in park. “I’ve already told her about you and now every time I talk to her, she asks about you. I think I get being a sucker for a musician from her.”

Julian hopped out of the SUV. “It’s wonderful she’s supportive.”

Morgan opened one of the back doors, allowing Chopin to bound out. “She and my father both were. I was lucky that they were easy to come out to, no hysterics, no crying, no chastising.

They simply said I was their child and nothing could ever change their love for me. It makes me so sad when I hear how other people’s parents can’t be as accepting of their children.”

“I’ve known several people rejected by their parents, including Jesse. I’m fortunate with mine too.” Julian paused as he watched Morgan toss a hiking pack on the ground, then pull a second from the back of the SUV and add it with the first. “That’s all we’re taking?”

“Yeah, and it’s probably overkill.” Morgan lifted up the smaller pack and held it toward him. “Time for you to meet the world.”

Julian turned around and let Morgan help him put on the pack. When Morgan released it, he let out a small grunt at the weight. “You know, I don’t even carry my own suitcases.”

Morgan wrestled on his own pack. “Which is exactly why getting out and doing things like this is good for you. It’ll keep you in shape.”

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“You don’t know what a workout it is being on stage every night.
And
I do go to the hotel gyms three times week.”